I own nothing but my o.c's...blah, blah, blah can we get to the story now?
A wicked smile played across Nekuma's pale face as she held the group in her gaze. She made icy chills run down Shiori's spine just by looking at her. What was she doing out of her cave prison?
"How did you escape?" Shiori demanded to know.
"Wouldn't you like to know, darling?" she answered. "Isn't this great? After watching for so long, now I get to be a part of something. It feels so good to be free!"
Shiori carefully surveyed the area, searching for any loose felines.
"And you must be this Inuyasha that I've heard so much about. The youngest son of the Great Dog General," said Nekuma. "What cute ears you have. They remind me of my own! How adorable."
"Who the hell are you?" he demanded.
"I'm Nekuma the Great!" she boldly proclaimed. "I was a friend of your Father's. Well, friend may not be the most appropriate word to use. But now Shiori and I are friends, isn't that right?"
"Enma set you free didn't he?" Shiori asked.
"It's possible," she slyly answered. "It's also possible that he ordered me to keep you from entering the Sacred Lands just yet. But….that's all just speculation. If you want to go in, you'll have to through me first!"
"Heh, you've just said the magic words," said Inuyasha, drawing his sword. "I'll slice you up into bits and serve you on a silver platter to Enma himself!"
"Oh, does the little doggy also want to play with me? Alright then," she said manifesting a shadow ball from the palm of her hand. "Fetch!"
Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shiori dove out of the way. Nekuma moved so quickly, that it was difficult to tell when she'd strike next. She suddenly appeared directly behind him.
"Inuyasha!" called Kagome. "Behind you!"
He turned just in time and blocked her sharp claws with the Tessaiga. Nekuma grinned.
"You're pretty good aren't you little half demon?" she taunted. "I'll definitely enjoy tearing you a part."
Inuyasha jumped away to avoid Nekuma's claws once more.
"Oh, I remember this sword! Such found memories!" she sang. "But both you and the sword are to be destroyed!"
"Not on your life, witch!" he hollered.
Just then, Nekuma sprang away from Inuyasha, narrowly escaping being sliced by Shiori.
"Silly girl, I haven't forgotten about you," she teased. "Don't worry, my beloved. I'll give you all the attention you desire!"
Nekuma ruthlessly pursued Shiori back into the forest. Each time she thought she came close to striking her, Shiori would escape at the last moment. It seemed she was always out of her reach.
"I can't let Nekuma follow us into the Sacred Land. She's definitely strong enough to avoid being purified. We already have enough foes to deal with! If I can just lead her away from the entrance."
"Shiori!" Inuyasha called after her.
"If I were you, I'd be less worried about her," called Nekuma, "and more concern about what's right in front of me!"
"Huh? What's she going on about now?" Inuyasha thought.
Suddenly, he caught on to a new scent. He and Kagome quickly turned around to find a swarm of cats steadily coming their way. Kagome grabbed onto Inuyasha's arm as she watched them approach. Something about the felines just didn't feel right.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed.
The strange felines began to glow with an ominous aura. Inuyasha took a step back and watched as they began morphing into disastrous demons. The pair found themselves surrounded by hideously disfigured cat creatures.
"Heh, piece of cake," said Inuyasha with a smirk. "Windscar!"
….
"I warned you of what happened when I escaped," shouted Nekuma as she shot a series of blast at Shiori. "You should've killed me when you had the chance."
Shiori smirked, "you're right. I should've killed you. That was my mistake for thinking you'd be perfectly contained in that cave forever. But I'm willing to correct that mistake."
"You don't like me very much, do you Angel of Darkness?" Nekuma teased.
"That's a bit of an understatement," Shiori bluntly said.
"Well lucky for you, they still like me," she said happily.
Shiori's heart froze, "they? Who are you talking about?"
She heard a loud mewing from all around her. Nekuma brought her cats along with her.
"You didn't think mother would travel without her children, did you?" Nekuma taunted. "Foolish little hybrid."
But Shiori wasn't paying her any mind. Her attention was on the approaching felines. They were creeping closer….and closer. Shiori couldn't help but think about her torture in Hell. At one point during the ordeal, she was surrounded by various cats. She could feel their icy glares as they sunk their claws into her flesh.
"Is something wrong, dear?" Nekuma mockingly asked her. "You're being awfully quiet for some reason. Oh yes, that's right. You don't like cats…do you? Interesting that you aren't afraid of cat demons," she stepped closer. "But when it comes to common felines, you get weak in the knees. Why? It's not like they can hurt you or anything, dear."
"I know that, but for some reason," thought Shiori to herself as she clutched her fist. "I still can't make myself move. Why?"
Suddenly, she sensed a pure demonic energy wave off in the distance. Just as Nekuma was about to attack her, She was sent flying back by a brilliant green light. The cats that survived the blast quickly scurried away.
"Sesshomaru, you're here," She noted when he finally came into view.
He coolly glanced at Shiori. She could easily tell that he wasn't too thrilled with her at the moment.
"What were you thinking about?" he suddenly asked her.
"I was thinking about my next move," she told him.
He folded his arms, "You were thinking about Hell again, weren't you? That's why you weren't able to move."
She looked away to avoid answering him. There was no use lying to him, he clearly knew the truth.
"I'm beginning to think you just go looking for trouble," he sighed.
Shiori smiled, "in my defense, it was you who introduced us."
"Lady Shiori! Are you okay?" asked Rin, running up behind them. Jaken was also running with them. Looks like he was able to find Sesshomaru after all. "There are so many cats! How did you survive this?"
"Rin?" said Shiori with surprise, "Didn't you go back to the village? Miroku went back to get you and Sango."
"Uh….well," she stammered.
"All of you are to get out of here. You'll just get in the way," said Sesshomaru.
"I can feel her energy," Shiori thought. "Nekuma's still alive even though she was hit with an attack from the Bakusaiga. She definitely is not one to take lightly. I can't allow her into the Sacred Lands.
"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken answered. "You heard the man! Stay clear of him!"
Jaken and Rin were already moving away from him and running back towards the edge of the mountain. But Shiori stood her ground. She knew that Nekuma was a powerful foe. Even the Great Dog Demon had difficulty killing him. Shiori felt uneasy about leaving Sesshomaru to deal with her on his own.
"You're still here?" he asked. "I thought I said to leave this place."
"I'm not leaving you alone with that beast," she responded.
"You have more important things to deal with at the moment," he firmly said. "Leave."
"I can't—"
Sesshomaru sharply stared her dead in the eye.
"Shiori, listen to me. You can't worry about my life right now. You have other things to worry about," he told her as he gently cupped her face in his hands.
"You act like that's such a simple task. How can you expect me not to worry about you?" she asked, suddenly filled with anger.
"Because I'm not giving you a choice right now," he said stroking her hair as he looked out the corner of his eye. Nekuma's scent was filling the air.
"Fine then. When you're finished with her, go into the cave and take the very last path on the left. Wait for me there," she told him.
"I will,"
She rested her head against his chest. She had a feeling that they wouldn't see each other for awhile. Shiori could sense the oncoming danger, but she couldn't bring herself to let go just yet. She couldn't help but think of Sesshomaru's dead body lying in a sea of decayed bones. As much as Shiori tried to forget that hellish image, it forever stayed in her mind.
"Why am I thinking of this now?" she thought. "This isn't helping anything…."
"Shiori,"
"Yes, My Lord?" she asked, looking into his eyes.
"Try not to do anything reckless until I get there," he flatly said.
"I believe you've gotten caught up in the moment and forgotten who you're talking to," she joked.
Shiori turned to leave, but Sesshomaru latched onto her wrist and gently pulled her back. She was once again face to face with her beloved demon lord. But something about his expression had changed.
Sesshomaru gingerly cupped Shiori's chin and pulled it closer to hers.
"I mean it," he whispered as he closed his eyes. "I will not lose you again, do you understand me?"
"I understand," she confidently answered.
He softly pressed his lips against her's. Shiori barely had time to enjoy the kiss. Just as quickly as it was initiated, it was over! Sesshomaru quickly released her and pushed her back.
"Go!" he barked.
"As usual, Lord Hellhound slays the mood!" she thought as she was running away. "What was all of that about anyway? Sesshomaru never behaves with such intimacy in a public setting. And certainly not when we're so close to danger!"
As soon as Shiori was out of sight, Nekuma arrived back to the battlefield. She angrily searched around for the half tennin.
"You!" she spat at Sesshomaru. "How dare you? I'll make you pay for that!"
"And I'll make you sorry you ever left your confinement," he coldly proclaimed.
…...
"Finally you decided to show up!" Jaken complained when Shiori finally caught up to him and Rin. "You took forever with that! The Lord told us to leave! And when he says to leave, you must promptly do so and—"
"Jaken," Shiori cut in. "Shut-up…"
"What were you talking to Lord Sesshomaru about?" asked Rin as they raced back toward the mountain.
"Nothing," Shiori immediately answered.
"Hmph," Jaken scoffed. "You sure answered that pretty quickly! Just what were doing back there?"
Shiori tried to keep from turning red, "I thought I told you to shut-up?"
"Lady Shiori! Do you feel those demonic auras?" asked Rin as they raced back toward the mountain.
"I do," she answered. "I've felt them for quite some time. They must've come with Nekuma."
"Oh that woman back there? Who was she?"
"She was an old enemy of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's father. She was my father's enemy as well," Shiori responded. "She was sealed away in a cave until very recently. It seemed King Enma wasn't quite finished recruiting henchmen. We have to get back there"
"You mean to that mountain up ahead?" asked Rin. "Is this where the entrance to your homeland is?"
"Yes," Shiori answered. "Sesshomaru is going to buy us sometime to escape into the Sacred Lands from Nekuma. But I still don't understand why she attacked us. I thought King Enma wanted us go into the lands. Megumi was the one who hinted the plan in the first place."
"Could it be that they didn't anticipate our arrival being so soon?" asked Jaken.
"Maybe," Shiori replied.
They finally made it back to the edge of the mountain where Inuyasha and Kagome were being attacked by cat demons. The more Inuyasha cut down, the more seemed to spring back up.
"Geez! Where the hell are these things coming from!" he grunted. "Why won't they just die?"
Kagome tried to assist Inuyasha with her sacred arrows, but it was no use. They were multiplying! Inuyasha quickly sprung up and scooped up Kagome bridal style. He just missed saving her from being sliced in half by one of the beasts.
Shiori heavily sighed, "3 cat orgies in one day? Someone must seriously hate me!"
"What are those disgusting things?" Jaken asked.
"Oni spirits trapped in the bodies of cats," Shiori confidently answered.
"So then they're zombies?"
Shiori nodded, "They're probably souls Nekuma didn't find to her liking. She trapped them and used them to do her bidding. Those unfortunate souls are unable to cross over due to Nekuma's dark magic. How sad."
"We have to help them fight!" said a worried Rin.
"All though there numbers are great, they aren't very strong," Shiori observed.
"I don't understand why Lady Kagome's sacred arrows didn't destroy them,"Rin comment.
"It's possible they require stronger purification. Although, they don't seem to be that strong," Shiori observed. "There's no need fighting to the point of exhaustion. They're just going to continue gathering their bodies back together. They're even withstanding Inuyasha's windscar."
Shiori suddenly turned to Jaken. The little imp tried to avoid her uncomfortable stare.
"Jaken, I have a job for you," Shiori cheerfully said. "I hope you're up to it."
"Her smile scares me more than Lord Sesshomaru's!" he thought.
"No need to be afraid, Jaken…" she evilly said.
"That's no very reassuring at all! I'll have no part of what ever scheme you've got cooking!" he huffed.
"I'm not usually one to throw my rank around," said Shiori. "But are you refusing to obey an order of the Princess of the Netherworld?"
Jaken gulped, "you….you're just trying to scare me! You know you have jurisdiction here!"
"Very true," she nodded. "It's too bad I'm not the Lady of the Western Lands as well. Oh, wait."
"Ack, why me?" Jaken grumbled.
"She can be really vindictive when she wants to be," Rin laughed to herself.
…..
"Inuyasha!" called Kagome. "There's too many of them!"
"Adamant Barrage!" he shouted, releasing hundreds of diamonds shards from his sword. "Damn it! They won't stay down!"
More and more of the creatures generated from the grounds. Kagome did her best to shoot as many of them as she could, but nothing seemed to work.
"I'm running out of arrows!" she informed him. "What are we gonna do now?"
"We're getting nowhere at this rate! Where the hell are Sango and Miroku? Shouldn't they have been here by now?" Inuyasha angrily thought as he smashed through more demons.
"Feel the power of the staff of two heads you rascals!" shouted Jaken as he unleashed fire from his staff.
Suddenly, the cat creatures were showered in a wave of fire. Many of them began to wither away. Inuyasha and Kagome jumped back to avoid being struck.
"This way!" called Shiori.
Inuyasha tossed Kagome onto his back and hurried after her.
"Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on?" Inuyasha demanded.
"Yes, I do. We're running on a very tight schedule, Inuyasha," she shot back. "Just follow me!"
The four of them made it into the cave safely. Once Jaken's staff died down, he found himself swamped with demons.
"Geh! Lord Sesshomaru!" he called as he was chased off by the pack of demons. "Save me!"
...
"Lady Shiori! Some are still following after us!" Rin informed.
They looked back at the 4 cat demons gunning behind them.
"It's alright. They won't be able to for much longer! Keep to the left!" she ordered.
They travelled further and further into the caves. The monstrous demons continued hunting them down. Just as Rin's legs were about to give out, Shiori latched onto her arm zipped off.
"Hey!" Inuyasha angrily called after them. "Wait up!"
They were so far ahead, that Inuyasha had no choice but to follow their scent.
"We've gotta lose some of these guys," he said drawing his weapon. "Kagome! Hang on."
"Okay!" she responded as she clung tighter to his body.
"Windscar!" he cried unleashing his power. The blast distracted the creatures long enough for the duel to continue their journey.
"That stupid girl! Leaving us behind like that!" he muttered.
"Inuyasha! Run faster! They're coming!" Kagome shouted.
"Will you shut-up? I'm working on it!" he fired back.
He quickly followed after Shiori's scent until he came to a dead end. Kagome climbed down from Inuyasha's back and surveyed the area. Had they taken a wrong turn?
"Their scents stop right here," said Inuyasha sniffing around. "I'm sure of it."
"Then this is it, the entrance to the Sacred World! But, how are we supposed to get in?" Kagome wondered as she pressed her hand against the stone wall. "It's so warm. I can practically feel the spiritual power from beyond this cave wall."
She turned to find Inuyasha standing in front of her with his read Tessaiga.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm busting in! There's obviously some sort of barrier here, so I'm gonna break it!" he declared.
"Inuyasha! This is a sacred place! You can't just run in there flaring your weapon," she scolded. "Besides, your sword only works on demonic barriers, not sacred ones."
"Okay fine, then you break it!" he fussed.
"I'm not so sure I can," she responded.
"Kagome," said Inuyasha coldly as he backed into her. "Stay back. Those things are on their way."
Kagome backed into the stone wall and waited for the creatures to emerge from the darkness. Inuyasha was directly in front of Kagome and had his back towards her. He switched back to Tessaiga's normal blade and waited as well.
"I'm done running. It's time to end this!" he shouted. "I'm sick of these things coming after us!"
Just as the creatures leaped towards the back of the cave, the pair was pulled through the stone wall. The creatures were knocked back by a blinding purple haze.
"Sorry, no pussyfoots allowed," Shiori jeered as she phased through the rock to replace Inuyasha and Kagome.
The cats scrambled back to their feet for a second attack. The entire cave flickered with a brilliant pink light. Shiori placed her palm on the side of the cave wall and was also bathed with the same light. Soon, the demonic creatures were overwhelmed by this purifying light. Before they had anytime to turn back, their bodies shriveled up and reverted to dust. Shiori quietly bowed her head and silently prayed over the departed souls.
"I really hate cats, but at least they're now free." she whispered before disappearing back into the rock.
Dude, we made it to the 10th chapter! What does everyone think so far? Reviews please! lol